Taking place in Reggio Emilia, the seventh edition of the European Photography Festival kicked off this weekend with more than 250 exhibition locations, 400 photographers involved, conferences, workshops, meetings, screenings, readings, portfolios, shows, 150 exhibitions in the off-circuit and 70 joined exhibitions.

In short, there’s a festive mood in town. This is a significant festival for the city of Reggio Emilia, with a cost of 700.000 euros, half of which was financed by private sponsors while the rest was allocated by the city municipality. A notable and praiseworthy investment in culture, during hard times like these. This year’s exhibition’s key theme is common life: Images for citizenship, seen from four different perspectives: change, platitudes, participation and differences.

Among the numerous exhibitions, we recommend three in particular: Des Européens, set up in the Chiostri di San Domenico, which gathers various snapshots taken by legendary photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson during his many European trips between 1929 and 1991; the exhibition is curated by Contrasto, Magnum Photos and Fondation Henri Cartier Bresson.

Igor Moukhin and his shots about contemporary Russia, set up in the Chiostri di San Pietro and curated by Elio Grazioli. And last but not least, the surprising Don McCullin: la pace impossibile. Dalle fotografie di guerra ai paesaggi 1958-2011 (Don McCullin: the impossible peace. From war photography to landscapes 1958-2011) set up in Palazzo Magnani and curated by Robert Pledge and Sandro Parmiggiani.